Mushi-ken
by TheForgottenMyth
Summary: A genin team is supposed to be a bond for life, friends that you can always count on. But, like all rules, Hiruzen Sarutobi's prized pupils managed to be the exception. Now three of the strongest shinobi in the world must fight for their life, all the while having to deal with the remnants of a long dead team.


**AN: Hey guys, this is my first story that I'm writing. This is me just trying to gauge my own skill, as well people's reactions to my story. Personally, I feel that the Sannin are a very unexplored part of the Narutoverse. Very little is known about them as a team, and as friends. So, I thought I'd try something like this to alleviate my own curiosity. I'll be introducing Tsunade in the next chapter or two. Please note that I don't have a beta, so feel free to point out mistakes if you find them. Also, I might be adding jutsus/abilities to some of them, especially Tsunade. My reasoning is that we don't really see what she can do, other than punch things really hard and heal people. Other than that, I got nothing other than I don't own Naruto or anything associated with the series. I'm just a broke college student. Enjoy everyone.**

"Regular speech"

' _Thoughts'_

" **Jutsu name"** (English Translation)

* * *

No matter how much he'd learned, no matter how many people he killed or missions he completed, Jiraiya still slept like a small child. Sprawled all over whatever surface he was using as a bed, complete with snoring to rival a jackhammer. When in dangerous areas, he could discipline himself, but he much preferred the comfort of his own immaturity. For Orochimaru, this had been one of the hardest things to get used to as part of his team, the inane noise. Once he left the village, he had special seals put on every room he slept in, to make sure he'd never have it be disturbed unless absolutely necessary.

It puzzled him then, when he awoke to what sounded like the most dangerous Doton jutsu he'd ever encountered. Jumping to his feet, the Snake Sage started preparing a Shunshin to escape the area, until he spotted the shock of white hair that the infernal sounds seemed to be coming from. Out of reflex, Orochimaru rolled his eyes at the childishness of his foolish former teammate. The annoyance gave way to confusion and anger as he realized that Jiraiya was asleep. Next to him. As Orochimaru contemplated this, he looked around and realized that he was nowhere near his budding new village, Otogakure. The Land of Rice Paddies had very little in the way of large trees, the flat land lending itself to growing crops, yet here they were in a forest. Shaking his head at the strange circumstances, Orochimaru unhinged his jaw, to retrieve the Kusanagi, and prepared to impale Jiraiya before attempting to find and kill the perpetrator of this strange act.

"Ku ku ku...To think that, after everything, I kill you in your sleep. After all our history, you die without a fight." Orochimaru contemplated as he stood over the man who had once been his closest friend. The idea of their saga being over tugged at some tiny flicker of emotion that Orochimaru thought he had crushed many years ago. Shaking his head, he swung the sword down at Jiraiya's neck. Only for the sword to ricochet off of a suddenly-visible blue shield emanating from Jiraiya. The following explosion was enough to send Orochimaru flying backwards, and loud enough to wake Jiraiya from his deep slumber. Through his half-awake eyes, Jiraiya could vaguely make out a figure that seemed to be-Immediately awake, he pushed himself away and prepared his own hand-seals.

" **Katon: Endan** "(Fire Style: Flame Bullet) Jiraiya blew a stream of fire at the dark-haired target in front of him. Pulling himself up, Orochimaru was unable to shield himself from the oncoming attack. However, the exact same thing occurred. A skin tight aura of what seemed to be pure chakra appeared at the last minute, blocking any kind of damage the jutsu might have done. The unknown shield flickered for a moment before disappearing, leaving Orochimaru unscathed. Noting the confusion in Orochimaru's eyes, Jiraiya dropped his hands. Clearly, there was a third-party here attempting to interfere in some way.

Having realized the same thing, Orochimaru decided finding the person responsible would be a better use of time. After all, killing Jiraiya could wait. Orochimaru jumped away, determined to finish their fight later, once he found whoever was trying to interfere. At least, he tried to jump away, and hit a chakra barrier face-first. Once again, Orochimaru was thrown backwards. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Jiraiya began to guffaw at his "genius" former teammate flat on his ass. Growling, the Snake master leveled a death glare at him, before returning his gaze to the surrounding area. Even with his keen senses, he couldn't feel any kind of chakra around him. Yet, with continued probing, it seemed there was some kind of artificial ceiling preventing any kind of movement above fifteen feet.

Jiraiya, once he was able to recover from his raucous laughter, also noticed the seeming lack of chakra coming from anywhere other than the...3 ninja? He could feel another source of chakra nearby. Jiraiya's senses weren't enough to determine the location, but it was just as strong as either of the sannin. Stilling his body, Jiraiya attempted to draw the natural energy from his surrounding into his body. Although he couldn't balance the full sage mode by himself, a little sage chakra would push his sensory abilities enough to locate this third energy source. Only, there was no natural energy to be found. Confused, Jiraiya pushed harder, but was unable to isolate any of the ambient energy that was usually abundant everywhere he went.

"What did you do this time, Jiraiya?" Jiraiya turned from his meditation to see Orochimaru staring with the smirk that Jiraiya had come to associate with the missing-nin.

"If you're accusing me of getting us in this situation, you're crazy, well crazier than usual. Last I remember, I was preparing for one of my...research sessions."

"Still the child that refuses to grow up, I see." Orochimaru snarked. Jiraiya simply smiled sadly in return.

"Better than let the world twist you into the worst kind of creature." Orochimaru began to chuckle in response.

"A sentimental fool that talks as though he's in some kind of epic adventure novel. Is that what you consider 'better'? I have advanced farther in the shinobi arts than anyone before me. You? You're trapped in your own morals, unable to progress. It's no wonder you weren't able to stop me from leaving. You simply don't have what it takes, Jiraiya" He stretched out the name, mocking the Toad Summoner with every syllable. Jiraiya just looked away, ashamed of his past mistakes. Regardless of the rift between the two, Orochimaru still knew exactly what buttons to press to set him off. Jiraiya, attempting to look at anything besides the traitorous snake next to him, began to stare at the sky.

' _What cruel god did I piss off to be stuck here, with him of all people?'_


End file.
